Headstall

Wouldn't that be nice? Alas, this author is not to be trusted. Murderous? Oh my! I must tread carefully. So glad readers care about Willy James. Will he get to smile? Time, my lady, will tell. Thanks for your constant support and engagement.

This story lives through the dialogue. It is always the biggest part of my story telling, and something I truly enjoy writing. There is such an honesty between these two characters as they find their balance. As much as they already know each other, there is still so much to learn, but they are doing well at it. I don't like violence, but it was common for the time, where the law was often stretched way too thin. We need to see the harshness of it, but even so, I tried to soften it by having it told about instead of seen. I believe it worked well in this situation. Runyan is very much a part of the heart of this story. We meet him late, but his impact was immediate. As young as he is, we see a stark differendce between his maturity and life experience compared to Darnell's, a boy who should have been able to keep his innocence a while longer. That's not how the world works, though. Thanks for the very thorough comment, my friend.

Hey, Doc! You just never know what's in store for Willy James... authors are weird. I think we can all feel positive for Regis and Darnell, thought I doubt Regis will want anything from his uncle. He must truly hate a man who wouldn't even let him grieve the loss of his pa, and tried to murder the man he loves. Oh my goodness... I'm so glad you see Runyan as I do... a hero. Yes, he is that and so much more, and he deserves to be happy. Thanks, my friend. We'll be meeting Gran very soon.

August wants nothing more than for Fletcher to be happy, and I'm sure it weighs on him that Fletcher's family is a truly exceptional one. I think it is human nature to get inside our own heads, and in this case I believe Fletcher did a good job of setting him straight. Well... not straight, but you know what I mean... that verbal kick in the pants. We must remember too that August has never had any kind of control over his life before now, whereas Fletcher has. Sometimes we lead and sometimes we follow. Great point about wealth, and how the Cooley boys have viewed it. As far as Maureen's choice, I think it was as simple as she fell in love and Albert loved her. Love isn't a cure-all, but it can dull sharp edges, which it seems it did for Albert, at least while she lived. I sometimes think her death may have made him even worse than he was before she met him. Writing about any kind of killing is something I take seriously, but yeah, I feel no remorse for these men we don't actually meet. We learn of them through the lads and runyan, and I thought that was enough to soften some of the violence. I don't know about you, but my heart breaks for Runyan. I see him as heroic, and heroes often have to bear the greatest tragedies in out histories and our stories. Let's hope that is not the case here. Willy James presented himself to me as such a sweetheart, and it's how I will always see him. Thank you, my dear friend. Onward to Barnswallow!

It was, right? He made Warrensville feel like home already. Thanks, bro.

That would be awesome, but in all honesty, it is not looking good right now. Hopefully Runyan will find some peace....

You know when you get a vibe about a place? I think the boys got a good one from Warrensville right away. Meeting Cliffy was a really good thing for August, making him feel at home already. If you want to know about a person, listen to the people around them. August learned a lot about how is family is thought of in that one opportune meeting. Gran will be here on Monday. As far as Willy James, if he hasn't reached Warrensville yet, things will not look good, especially to Runyan. Who knows what he might do. Thanks, Kris! As always, I appreciate hearing your thoughts.

Damn. I was hoping for a better story. I'm all about the drams.

Have you ever had that feeling, because I certainly have? As a kid I swear I could sense danger... maybe it was paranoia, but whatever it was, it saved me a few times. Things are looking good for Regis and Darnell, and I'll bet they won't ever take what they have for granted. It was hard fought, and while it is a shame it had to be that way, I trust they will be the stronger for it. Life teaches us lessons. My heart breaks for Runyan. The fact he was waiting ahead tells me he was searching for Willy James, and needed time to himself, It's hard to be happy for people in love when the one who owns your heart is missing. Yeah, August has come home, and within the first couple of minutes he learned he is a part of Warrensville. I enjoyed writing Cliffy. Thanks, friend. Much appreciated.

Thanks, pal o mine. I guess I can tell you i had a short story planned a year or two back which was centered around Regis and Darnell. Got distracted at the time, and it came to mind when I started thinking about writing this one. "Love on the Run". Love it. You come up with the greatest titles! I still remember "Horse of a Different Color" in one of your previous comments on a story (Still might use that one day ) .

Howdy. Thought you might have been kidnapped and no one would pay the ransom.

Lol. I'm learning so much.

The only thing facebook is good for is keeping tabs on distant family. Hi, Jason. 👋

Double ewwww.

Um...

Yeah, he does, and we don't know how he will treat Virginia. Maybe she reminds him of Maureen? I agree about the new wife, but if she's young, she may have expressed some nervousness of fitting in with two grown boys, and maybe Albert took that as something he should take care of. Until and unless we meet this woman, it will be hard to know what the dynamic is. Hopefully August won't have to deal with any of it. As far as Rob, it looks like he'll have his hands full at the ranch, so I don't see him travelling that far to check on August. Who knows, though. Thanks, my friend. I'm so pleased to see you are hanging in there.

Hi, Patrick! Yeah, I don't care either. It was a hell of a story Runyan told, but all things considered, it had a happy ending. I like how Runyan said he buried them 'close enough to hell'. Warrensville is showing great promise. So pleased you found this chapter heartwarming, buddy. Cheers! Gary

As sad as it was, what Regis and Darnell have had to go through for loving one another, they are safe, and that's all that matters. Darnell especially will carry a heavy burden, but time will help. In hindsight, they are probably all thinking Willy James should have never travelled alone. Is he tough enough for such a trip? Sure hope so. Runyan is suffering. Thanks, Doc!

Elbows up!

Boom for Boom Boom.

I smell Drewth, and I do not agree with it.

Chapter 13 is now posted...

Yup. Me too.

Fox and Other Tales They’d been pondering for more than two weeks on the fate of Regis and Darnell, since there’d been no sign of Runyan in all that time. They’d spoke of them plenty, about how it might could be the Lord what put those scared and weary young men in their path so they could help them in a time of need. And it had to be more than coincidence Runyan appeared when he did, didn’t it? A man who had a plan for saving them? August carried faith it’d turned out

Welcome, Evan, and good luck. Cheers. Gary